Xbox 360 Getting HDMI?

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An anonymous source says yes, and has pics.

By Gerry Block

The well known Xbox-Scene.com is showing a picture of what appears to be an HDMI port on an Xbox 360's mother board. Provided by an anonymous source, the pic is a little on the blurry side, but has thus far withstood the intense scrutiny of Photoshop sleuths on the interwebs.

If the picture is legitimate, it offers quite a bit more fuel for the speculation fires of the future of HD-DVD on the Xbox 360. Since the original announcement that an HD-DVD drive was in the works at CES in January, many have wondered how the drive would connect to the 360, and what cables would carry the signal to HDTVs. While all signs now point to a USB-based unit, the ongoing issue of HDCP copy-protection and Image Constraint Token (ICT) downgrading 1080p content to 540p when protected content is transmitted over anything other than HDMI has remained a problem for the add-on's future. While the rumors regarding a moratorium on ICT implementation until 2012 appear to be true, lack of HDMI would still be an eventual headache for the console's owners.

The addition of an HDMI output for the Xbox 360 could solve the whole problem, but could also generate new ones. Every 360 sold to this day, and likely for many more months, if not years, will lack HDMI, which will result in a fractured installation base. Owners will feel cheated, and Microsoft will have a difficult situation on its hands if it must explain to consumers that some 360s will play ICT protected HD-DVDs and others won't.

The necessity of a dedicated HDMI port also suggests that the standard Xbox 360 connection, which accepts dongles for S-Video, component, and VGA outputs, may be incapable of DVI output. While Microsoft has long maintained a DVI dongle would be made available when the market demanded it, future plans for an HDMI port may put DVI support on a back burner.

Mixing even more rumor into the mill, Toshiba executives commented a few weeks ago that they knew of Microsoft plans to make HD-DVD a built-in feature, rather than an add-on. Microsoft has since denied such plans, but the possibility still seems like a logical option. It may be that HDMI-equipped Xbox 360s will be the only units to include a HDMI port, which would address the ICP issue and maintain a more unified installation base. On the other hand, the move would mean owners of the HD-DVD add-on will be out of luck.

Microsoft has, thus far, been very guarded about its plans for HD-DVD. More information will hopefully arrive before the HD-DVD add-on's expected, but still unofficial, launch this holiday season.